SAM Launches Polymer Tungsten for Radiation Shielding

Stanford Advanced Materials (SAM), the industry leader in materials, is proud to announce the release of its new Polymer Tungsten for effective radiation shielding. This is a remarkable achievement in the move towards environmentally friendly solutions for radiation shielding.

Rita from SAM explains, “Tungsten is an excellent radiation material, but it’s too fragile to be curved into desired shapes. However when you put tungsten powder with polymer to make a polymer tungsten composition, you get a flexible radiation resistant material. SAM is continuously striving to find innovative solutions to meet customer needs. Given the environmental costs of lead, poly tungsten will surely replace it in the coming years.”

Polymer Tungsten (also known as Tungsten-filled Polymer and PolyTungsten) is a composition of various resins and Tungsten powder which are mixed together through special metallurgical technology. Compared with other materials, tungsten poly has its own properties; it can be easily machined, has high radiation resistance, and is environmentally friendly. Traditionally, lead (Pb) was the best option for shielding against radiation. It is inexpensive and abundant, but it is toxic and highly-hazardous. In fact it is ranked number two on the United States’ “Priority List of Hazardous Substances”.

PolyTungsten has the same density and thickness as lead, therefore providing equivalent shielding properties. In addition, it is the leading substitute as it is more durable and better for the environment. It is nontoxic, dependable and meets US, EPA, OSHA, and RoHS standards. Furthermore it keeps its form during use, and can be used in many applications; such as X-ray equipment, CT scanning devices, tungsten poly syringe and tungsten poly collimator, to name a few. Analysis, both on samples and actual products already in use, has confirmed that SAM’s tungsten-filled polymer products offer radiation shielding superior than lead material radiation shielding without leakage or hot spots.